Lukashenka Keeping Aloof

The dictator was drinking champagne while the hurricane was raging in Belarus.

In the German city of Erfurt, local authorities faced an unusual problem: to expand the grounds of a school, they had to relocate 39 field hamsters, which are protected as an endangered species.

Officials developed a special plan, which provides for the allocation of 64102 euros for relocating each ‘migrant’. A total of 2.5 million will be spent on relocating the hamsters.

This news sounds like a message from a parallel universe. Especially when you read about that only the low-income affected residents of Mazyr will be able to get help from the state to fix the consequences of the hurricane.

Should we be surprised? No, we shouldn't be. Six people, including two children, became victims of the recent storm. The 105,000-strong Mozyr was left without water and electricity for several days.

And only on the third day, July 16, Lukashenka commented on the tragedy. However, the word was never heard in the public space.

The press service of the ruler retroactively reported that he ‘keeps personal control over the progress of reconstruction work to eliminate the consequences of the disaster’ and instructs to ‘ensure removing the resulting debris, restore the work of all infrastructure and life-support systems of the population’.

That's right - the population. The message says about the decision to hand over all the damaged forest to the heads of regional executive committees. But there is no mention of the dead, nor a word of condolence to their families and friends.

Perhaps it's just a coincidence, but the publications in the state press, which first mention the number of fallen trees and the stoppage of city transport, and then the death of a 26-year-old girl, look just as callous.

What was the ruler doing during these days, when the residents of the affected towns and cities were standing in the heat in queues for water for hours?

On July 14, when the first victims were already known, he sent congratulations to the people of France on Bastille Day and to workers and veterans of tax authorities on their professional holiday.

On Monday, he met with the head of Chuvashia and awarded the employees of the State Control Committee, at the same time he signed draft agreements with Cuba and Nicaragua on cooperation and mutual assistance in customs affairs.

And on July 16, with a glass of sparkling wine in his hand, he honoured law enforcers, not forgetting to once again threaten mythical enemies with someone else's nuclear weapons.

Judging by the reports of the press service, he was neither in Mazyr, nor among the families of the victims, nor in the hospitals where the victims were taken.

However, we have already gone through something similar to this. In June 1997, a powerful hurricane struck Belarus. Five people became its victims, fifty Belarusians were injured.

Hundreds of houses were destroyed in a matter of minutes, the number of damaged housing was estimated in thousands. The damage caused by the disaster amounted to Br1.5 trillion.

The authorities did not declare mourning for the victims - Minsk was preparing to celebrate the 930th anniversary, so nothing could overshadow the upcoming fun. It looks like we're dealing with a sad tradition.

Artsiom Sinitsyn, ‘Salidarnasts’

You can support the website Charter97.org

MULTI-CURRENCY ACCOUNT FOR ASSISTANCE:

Bank's name: Bank Millennium S.A.
Address: ul. Stanislawa Zaryna, 2A, 02-593, Warszawa
IBAN: PL97116022020000000216711123
SWIFT: BIGBPLPW
Name of the account holder: Fundacja “KARTA ‘97”
Purpose/title of payment: Donation for statuary aims

You can contact us by the e-mail charter97@gmail.com